


This is us

by NieParkuj



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Baekhyun acts tough, Baekhyun becoming idol, Bit of comedy, Chanyeol acts tough too, Cute Byun Baekhyun, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Heartbroken Chanyeol, I Tried, M/M, Romance, Small plot twists, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:21:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25448275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NieParkuj/pseuds/NieParkuj
Summary: Byun Baekhyun by many was called arrogant and selfish. Still, he was the most popular boy. People considered him as the star of the university - everyone knew his name and everyone wanted to be his friend.At first Park Chanyeol was one of those people. He also wanted to meet him and get to know him. The REAL him. Problem was, when they finally met, Baekhyun didn't exactly leave the best impression, making Chanyeol dislike him quite a bit.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	This is us

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic was originally written in Polish. I translated it myself. I'm not a native tho, so I'm truly sorry for any mistakes.

Byun Baekhyun by many was considered a legend of the university.

I never met him in person, even though I attended a few parties that he supposedly was invited to. I guess it became a tradition that everyone who was throwing any kind of social event needed to spread the news that the famous, the amazing, the one and only Byun Baekhyun was gonna be there. Nobody really checked with him if he'd actually show up but after such an announcement, crowds followed and the party from a small one usually blew up to a really giagantic one.

There were so many rumours orbiting around his name, that with passing time, it became more and more difficult to trust any of them. Would anyone in the right state of mind believe that this small, skinny guy could drink seven bottles of soju in one night and still be able to walk properly? Even I couldn't do that. Huh, even my best friend, Oh Sehun, couldn't! And he loved partying. It kind of spoke for itself.

Despite the false rumors spread by his equally false, so called 'friends', I still wanted to meet him. Like everyone else, I was curious about who he really was. Did he actually enjoy all that attention? Did he love parties as much as Oh Sehun? Did he have both feet on the ground or did he walk with his head in the clouds all the time? Did he care for his close friends? Or did he not give a damn about anyone and anything?

"Chanyeol hyung!" I heard a well known voice right behind me and turned around just to see Sehun's pouting face. He looked at me angrily as if he wanted to accuse me of something. "I called your name three times already. I've run for you through the entire hallway... " he said, then took a deep breath to calm down his heart.

Oh ran his fingers through his dyed blonde hair. Since he changed the color, his popularity increased drastically. Every now and then someone greeted him, gave him a friendly look or smile, while perfidiously ignoring me, as if I had become invisible overnight.

"At least you'll make yourself fit," I muttered as I walked forward, this time with Sehun by my side. He snorted in response. "What do you want?" I asked, not caring much about cute polite phrases.

"Are we going to Luhan's tonight?" he got straight to the point.

"Who's Luhan?"

"Is that even important? There's a party, so we're going."

I rolled my eyes, ready to disagree with him. I was already opening my mouth to say that lovely, little 'hell no' phrase, when my way was suddenly blocked by a short, black-haired girl. I would bump into her by accident if it weren't for Sehun's quick reaction. He grabbed my sleeve and pulled me towards him, saving my ass from falling on the hard ground.

"Chanyeol oppa, hi! And... Oh, it's you again," she muttered.

Sehun was Suzy's long time enemy. Even though they had only known each other for like a year or so, I was more than sure they hated each other since the day they were born.

"Oh, it's you again," he mocked her, his voice leaping an octave or two.

I burst out laughing, patting my friend on the shoulder. I came to my senses fastly after I catched a quick look of Suzy's angry face. I didn't want to put her off too much, because after all, in a way, for some reason... we kind of became friends. I was not one hundred percent sure of that though, because we rarely saw each other outside the university's walls. She was... all right, I guess. I didn't hate her at least. Certainly I liked her pretty handwriting, which made copying her notes way easier for me. What can I say... I studied hard, but at times I was also pretty lazy. Sleeping during classes was nothing new to me, nor not showing up to class at all during more boring days.

"Wanna go to the movies tonight, oppa? They're starting to play that new one you've talked about so much," she said, smiling broadly and happily. She did look kinda cute when she was grinning like that. Her cheeks grew twice as large as if someone filled them with air.

"Sorry chica, but we're going to Luhan's tonight," Sehun interrupted.

I didn't really have time to say anything to her because he pulled me away, mumbling something under his breath about hell and devils. I just glanced over my shoulder and waved at her for a nice see ya later sign. It seemed to cheer her up a little after such a brutal rejection.

"Women," Oh Sehun sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, kiddo... You know I take notes from her. If she hates me cos of you, you'll have to start taking those for me. I don't care how or from whom," I said, finally tearing my hand away from his grasp. For quite some time now I didn't really enjoy other people's touch. It used to be different but a certain short guy with nice chestnut colored hair completely changed my approach. Perhaps even forever.

I quickened my pace as I walked, but... well, I was never really able to lose Sehun. Somehow he was always there and, although I never said it out loud, I was grateful for that.

"You know Byun Baekhyun will be there, right? At that party," he said, as if this argument would help him convince me to go.

I shrugged my shoulders in response.

"Why would I care about Byun Baekhyun being there?" I asked. After the boy's name was mentioned, however, the conversation got a little bit more interesting.

"I want to meet him, hyung!" he shouted excitedly right into my ear.

I glared at him, silently wondering why the hell I was still hanging out with him. I found the answer very quickly.

In some weird way, Sehun always made me feel better.

He was often walking around looking all grumpy, sometimes even watching others as if he wanted to kill them or at least hurt them in any way. Those moments were the reason why I found him so ridiculously funny. Because in reality he couldn't even hurt a fly, yet he tried so hard to look cool and strong, tough and rebellious, like nobody at the university knew that he was the one who cried a bit during the headmaster's speech at the beginning of the year.

Even when he was acting like a complete idiot, always getting me in trouble, I couldn't stay angry at him for long. I've rarely won against him. In most arguments, at the end I usually gave in. All because of those sweet, puppylike eyes.

This time I looked away quickly, not wanting to give up right away.

"So what? Do you really think the legend of our university would become friends with someone like you?" I sneered. I didn't really mean to offend him, tho. I've taunt him out of habit and he knew it.

"Well... I betcha he'd definitely become friends with me sooner than with you!" he talked back.

"In your dreams."

"If we go to Luhan's tonight, we'll find out who's right," he grunted.

"Wait... Tomorrow I have that exam..."

"Tomorrow's Saturday, hyung."

I cursed under my breath in response.

"I'm out of excuses," I said, disappointed in myself.

"So we're going?!"

"Yup..."

Don't get me wrong, I wanted to meet Baekhyun like everyone else. I just didn't believe he would show up. He was supposed to be present at too many events already. And I'd never seen him on any of them.

*

Luhan was a surprisingly hospitable man. If I were in his shoes, I would not let half of those dumb peeps into my apartment. Most of them went to college just to, well... go crazy, basically. Their rich parents payed freakishly large sums of money every year, and those guys instead of getting their heads straight and paying off the debt with at least some respect (and better grades) most days they were just getting drunk.

Their financial freedom was something I envied, though. As for then, I was dreaming about having enough money to go through college without any worries, not having to keep my grades high enough for a scholarship, buying whatever food I wanted, whatever clothes I wanted, whatever phone I wanted... But, well, you can't have it all, right? At least I wasn't too dumb and my grades weren't bad. I was kinda good looking, as for what I heard, really tall and pretty fit. If I was only lacking money... for now, it wasn't that much of a big deal. Who needs nutrition when you can enjoy meat from a can with some kimchi?

The party had kicked off already and Byun Baekhyun still didn't come. Compared to Sehun, I wasn't even surprised. As I said before, I doubted he would actually show up this time, even though it was his (actual) best friend's party.

To be honest, sometimes I wondered if that guy even existed. Maybe he was just a figment of someone's imagination? Maybe he lived only in people's minds and traveled around Seoul with nothing else than rumors...

Sehun handed me a cold beer. We raised a silent toast and both took a few large sips. We stood in the corner of a room for a while, talking to each other, looking around, waiting for the arrival of that one special person, the star of the evening, the great Byun Baekhyun, meanwhile admiring all the dumb things those drunkass people did around us. So far I've counted two broken glasses, an old boombox destroyed with a beer, some flowers uprooted from the ground, then left on the armchair, and a mustard-stained carpet. Not bad for a few hours of fun.

*

I saw him entering the apartment around one in the morning.

It was pretty easy to figure out which one he was. As soon as he entered, people immediately gathered around him, greeting him, handing him various kinds of drinks and introducing themselves, without really giving him a break to speak. They surrounded him, like he really was an idol. After a while I saw Sehun joining the crowd as well - I didn't even notice when he left.

I watched the whole situation without moving from my peaceful corner of the room.

I was no longer surprised why Baekhyun rarely came to any parties. The experience certainly wasn't as fun for him, as it was for the people around. I watched him for a bit, slowly sipping alcohol. I must say, I was a little surprised at that time. I had always imagined him as a tall, well-built guy. I never thought this outgoing, outstanding personality would be hidden in such a tiny body.

No one could deny that Baekhyun was incredibly handsome... Although he looked a bit confused in that weirdass situation. In one moment he looked grumpy, too serious for his age, yet just a few seconds later he was already giving cute, pretty smiles to everyone, looking like a cute little puppy.

"He's a singer, you know?" Luhan asked, standing next to me, also watching the whole entrance of a star with amusement.

"Oh, really?" I asked back, even though I wasn't surprised at all. Did the famous Baekhyun have any weaknesses at all? Given the stupid rumors... he was the best at everything and everything he touched turned into gold.

Well, if that was true... that would be something, wouldn't it?

"Yea, he signed a contract not so long ago. With some huge, important label. But don't ask me which one exactly, I don't really know anything about the music industry," he explained. Seconds after he was shaking my hand, bowing respectfully. "I'm Luhan, by the way."

I greeted him just as politely, ignoring his playful smile. I was about to introduce myself, when he cut me off suddenly.

"Park Chanyeol, I know your name. Sehun told me about you," he explained, surprising me completely.

"You've met Oh Sehun?"

"I bet everyone in this room has already met Oh Sehun. That kid is everywhere." He laughed as he reached for another beer. He opened it quickly using only the edge of the table. Huh, show off...

I sighed and took another sip from a glass bottle. At that particular moment, I didn't really see the slightest chance of getting to know the famous Baekhyun's true personality. I doubted Byun would want to meet anyone else tonight. Not after the way others put so much pressure on him with all that touching and all that talking. So I finished my beer while it was still cold and marched out of the crowded room, leaving Luhan alone with his strange buddies.

I stood outside, right by the door, leaning my back against the cold wall with my eyes fixed on the cloudless sky. The cool wind gently caressed my body, as I enjoyed nice weather, the view of the stars and a happy, warm feeling forming somewhere around my heart. In this kind of moment, everything was becoming better. More bearable, no matter what. At times like this, I really appreciated my very quiet, very peaceful life. I felt... free.

At least compared to Byun Baekhyun.

Once I finished enjoying the fresh air, I decided to go back inside and let Sehun know I was heading home. I could just leave him there and go without saying a word but I didn't want to worry him. I still remembered the last time I did that. He called to me, like a milion freaking times, and left a bunch of messages, asking if I was alive. Well, of course I was alive. Just my phone was on mute until late morning.

I was about to enter the building when suddenly, completely out of nowhere I got attacked by someone at the door. Well, there was a small chanse that he didn't do it intentionally and didn't really 'attack'... More like ran right at me, with all the power he had, while he was trying to, I guessed, get the hell out of that lame party. I bounced off the stranger and lost my balance. Moments later I was rubbing my sore neck, lying on the cold ground. 

"Oh, shit, are you okay?" he asked, trying to help me up. He was standing in the shadow so I couldn't really see his face, but his voice was very pleasant. Pretty sweet, I would say.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," I replied, though I was still feeling pain in my neck.

I winced when I touched it softy.

"Are you really? You don't sound okay... More like you're hurt," he said.

"I am hurt, but... just, whatever," I muttered, trying to massage my tense muscles. "I think I pulled something."

The stranger took a step towards me, finally stepping out into the moonlight. I froze for a second with a surprised look on my face.

It was him. Byun Baekhyun.

He was giving me a cold look at first, frowning as if he was angry with the whole world. That look didn't really suit him and I guessed he kinda felt it himself, because finally he relaxed a bit. He watched me silently for a few, long seconds. At that time, I was already wondering if thanks to the extraordinary twist of fate I would actually gain the opportunity to get to know him. I still kind of doubted it, but, oh well, weird things happen to weird people.

"There's a bench over here... you better sit down and rest," he instructed, pulling me by the sleeve in a chosen direction. As if I couldn't walk by myself...

"So... why were you in such a hurry, Cinderella?" I asked mockingly.

I didn't want to look like one of those people who were eager to spend some time with him, so I pretended as if I really didn't care at all that he was there, talking to me, worrying about me and my poor little neck muscle. I thought my heart actually skipped a bit, when he looked at me again. This time I could see a little bit of anger in his eyes.

Maybe I should had taken his bad mood under consideration before I asked that stupid question. He wasn't Sehun, after all. I didn't really know him, I had no idea what or who bothered him before and why would he run out of his friend's house like that. 

But instead of worrying about any of those, I was just staring at the small scar on his eyebrow.

"I just... ugh... I can't even enter my friend's house peacefully without anyone trying to freaking ram me! I'm slowly getting enough of it all," he growled at me in response, as if I were the one to blame.

"You were the one who bumped into me, not the other way around," I grumbled.

"Why the hell were you standing in the middle of the entrance?!"

"I wasn't... What? I wasn't fucking standing there, I was just going inside!" I raised my voice, because, jesus... He was just so annoying with that tone of his, sounding like everyone and everything in the world should be just as he wanted it to be.

At that point I began to wonder if this was the actual, real Byun Baekhyun that everyone was always talking about. Arrogant, irritating... fucking annoying even. Did he act like that on a daily basis? If so, I definitely didn't want to get any closer to him. Not anymore. 

All the magic of knowing the star of the evening had disappeared, replaced by disappointment stinging right in the middle of my chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome, everyone! 
> 
> "This is us" is a completed story, originally written in Polish. I thought it would be nice to try out something new and translate it myself to English. I'm not a native, so you know... I'm very, very sorry for all mistakes I made in this translation


End file.
